Letters: Which medical cannabis patients are committing crimes?

The County Council passed a resolution easing some restrictions on medical marijuana dispensaries in Anne Arundel County. This will not likely put to rest the complaints of many of my neighbors, but I for one am happy about it.

Since the first Maryland dispensaries opened, I've been driving at least half an hour each way to purchase my supplies as a medical cannabis patient. The only dispensary currently operating in Anne Arundel County is in Linthicum Heights, and while the location is not unreasonable, it's not my favorite, either.

Each dispensary is a little different, and I prefer the atmosphere of Remedy in Columbia, or the breadth of knowledge of the owner and managers at Greenhouse Wellness in Ellicott City. I find it worthwhile to drive to another county for great service in a comfortable environment, and I happily recommend those dispensaries to anyone.

Still, I know Anne Arundel County is capable of providing these things, and it's been sad to watch my neighbors complain about the riffraff dispensaries might attract into our area rather than thinking of how it could be a boon to those who already live and work here.

The objections I’ve heard have been rooted a study that showed increased crime rates around dispensaries in Colorado. Obviously, I share my neighbors’ concerns. No one wants more crime, yet I'm afraid the study may be misleading.

The fact that crime increased in a neighborhood near a dispensary does not mean it was caused by the dispensary, although there could be a connection. Correlation is not causation. There are other possible explanations including subtle attitudes within a community that are hard to quantify. Common factors about the neighborhoods around the dispensaries should be examined — it's possible those communities were set up for failure by poor planning and prejudice.

I probably speak for all medical cannabis users when I say the last thing I want is the local homeowners association leading a crusade against my medical suppliers, so there's absolutely no crime allowed on weed field trips! I don't rummage through the recycling, peek into parked cars or sneak into backyards. I just go on with my errands for the day or make the long drive back home.

If I go to Ellicott City, where my favorite dispensary is, I stop at Hot Pot Hero for lunch and visit the Asian grocery store after. In other words, medical cannabis users are going out of town to do our errands or enjoy our weekends, and Anne Arundel County is missing out.

So, which medical cannabis patients are committing crimes? If it's not me, then maybe it’s the military vets with PTSD, or the cancer and chronic pain patients. I've seen a few older men with terrible arthritis who look like they're itching to break some windows, and one nice lady who suffered from decades of insomnia told me that after she had a good nap, she planned on committing grand theft auto.

Or perhaps the caretakers who drive across the county to pick up medical supplies for their loved ones just need to blow off some steam by bashing a few mailboxes along the way. I don't want to entirely discount my neighbors' concerns about crime, but I think they should reconsider their pre-judgements about medical cannabis patients. And rather than assume that what happened in other communities will happen here, we should all be learning from others’ mistakes so we can do better.